Anthropologically Acceptable
by Whisper Angelitos
Summary: BoothxBrennan. This is the tale of our favorite partners' ascent into bliss, or something like it. A more chaos filled, Squint-packed, Cam-bashing version of bliss, that is.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I really wish that I could claim Bones for my own. Sadly, it isn't so!

--

Setting: Almost Two Months After "Baby in the Bough."

--

"Bones! We've got a case!" Booth announced, striding into the forensic anthropologist's office, only to screech to a halt when he couldn't readily locate her. "Bones?"

After looking under her desk and everywhere else in the office, Booth made his way to the lab. He spotted Angela talking to Hodgins, her back to him.

"Angela!"

The artist whirled around, surprised to see him in the lab. "What are you doing here?" she called back.

"Where's Bones?"

"She went to look for you! Why aren't you in your office?"

"Because I'm looking for...Just nevermind," he grumbled, stomping back towards the elevators.

When he finally made it back to his office, Bones was sitting in his chair snooping through his desk drawers.

"Whatcha lookin' for?" he asked casually, leaning against the door frame, arms folded across his chest. Her head whipped up with a surprised squeak, slamming the door shut and almost catching her fingers as she did.

"Nothing," she replied evenly when she had regained her composure.

"Looked like somebody was snooping," he teased her, entering the room fully and closing the door behind him.

"It is culturally--" she started, stopping when he waved a folder in front of her nose. She snatched it from his hand, flipping it open. "A case?" she asked rhetorically.

"Yep. You know, I went all the way to the Jeffersonian looking for you."

"I wasn't there, Booth."

"I noticed."

...An hour later, at the scene...

"Oh, I almost forgot! Booth, wait up!" Bones scowled as her partner strode ahead of her, hating him for getting to wear boots when she was stuck in heels.

"What, Bones?"

"Here," she told him when she finally caught up to him, thrusting an official looking paper into his hand before striding past him to crouch by the victim's remains.

"What is this?"

"Read it." She was so involved in studying the remains nailed to the tree trunk that she didn't see him turn disbelieving eyes on her.

"Your firearm request? Again?"

"I need one."

"No, Bones, ya don't."

"Female, age twenty to twenty-five, cause of death was strangulation." Brennan turned just far enough to see the sheriff who had been briefing Booth while she studied the bones. "We'll need this section of the tree transported back to the Jeffersonian along with the body," she told the older man.

"Why? Can't ya just unstick the body from it?"

"No! The remains may leave residual evidence on the tree, therefore, we need the tree that it was attached to."

"We'll take care of it," the sheriff, Jones his nametag said, informed her before wandering back to his car to phone in the request.

Angela was busy trying to suck Hodgin's tongue out of his mouth when the duo returned, making Booth grimace. Brennan barely even blinked, simply walking around the couple and continuing into her office.

"Not in the office!" Booth yelled in Hodgin's ear as he hurried past. "Doesn't it bother you when they do that?" he asked as he flopped onto the couch and made himself at home.

"Not really," Bones replied absently, sifting through papers on her desk. "It's a universally accepted expression of affection."

"Does everything have an anthropological excuse?" he asked sarcastically.

Bones, still not able to recognize saracasm, merely blinked owlishly at him before saying proudly, "Of course."


	2. Chapter 2 Part One

Disclaimer: Not mine, sad as it makes me to admit it.

--

"You were right." Booth looked up from his desk, surprised to see Bones standing in his doorway at seven p.m.

"About what?"

"I changed my mind," she continued as she settled into a chair across from him.

"Again, about what?"

"Children. More specifically, having them."

Booth did a victory arm pump, stopping when he saw Bones' startled look.

"Why does this make you so happy?" she asked, leaning forward in curiosity.

"Because…it means I was right?"

"No, when you're happy about that you get this smug look in your eyes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"…Oh."

"So what about this situation makes you jubilant?"

"…Now that I think about it, I'm not really sure."

--The next morning, in Brennan's Office --

"I need a donor!" Brennan groaned, dropping her head into her hands in frustration.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Angela asked, striding in with two coffees and a plate of muffins.

The two females sat on the couch, Angela listening with growing excitement as Brennan explained the situation.

"Why not have Booth do it?"

"What?!"

"I mean, he obviously wants to. Not to mention you told me he's great with Parker," Angela reasoned.

"He's my partner! The only feelings he has for me are purely--"

"Purely what, Bones?" The man in question asked, sauntering in to snatch the last muffin.

"Nothing!"

"She wants you to be her baby daddy!" Angela squealed, leaping to her feet. She hugged Booth before dashing from the room to spread to "news."

"Really?" Booth asked, smug look firmly in place as he settled onto the couch right next to Bones.

"I have no idea what she was talking about."

"I'm sure."

"I don't!"

"So you don't want to have my baby."

"….I never said that."


	3. Chapter 2 Part Two

Disclaimer: If I owned it, Brennan and Booth would be together by now.

--

"…Wait, what?" Booth was stunned, staring at his partner in disbelief.

"I never said that I didn't want to have your baby, I was just explaining my recent decision to have a baby and Angela assumed you would be the paternal component in the equation."

"Again, what?"

"She assumed I wanted you to be the baby's father," Brennan told him slowly, as if talking to an idiot.

"Oh. And do you?"

"What do you think?"

"Then what are we waiting for!" Booth jumped to his feet, ushering Brennan from the room and into the nearest storage closet. Brennan was shocked at this turn of events, but found she couldn't protest when he began to smother her lips with kisses.

"B-Booth!" she finally managed to push him back just enough to catch her breath.

"What?" he mumbled, forsaking her lips in favor of her neck. Her only reply was a groan as he wound his arms around her waist, gently pressing her backwards until her spine connected with the shelves.

"Booth, we have to stop!"

Panting, he pulled back to stare at her with incredulous eyes. "Why?"

"I-We--"

"Yeah, we are," he responded, impatient. "Bones, do you want this or not?"

"I do, but--"

"Great," he interrupted, "Now, where were we?"

"But Booth--"

"Brennan? Sweetie, where are you?"

The partners froze when Angela's voice carried to them through the door.

"I think she's in my office," Bones whispered, ducking around Booth to crack open the door.

Sure enough, her best friend was pacing outside her office. The frustration and worry on Angela's face tugged at Brennan's heartstrings. She turned back to Booth, who had been peeking over her shoulder.

"All right, here's what we'll do," she told him quietly. "I'll leave first and, if she asks, I'll just tell her I ran out of paperclips or something. While Angela and I are talking in my office, you leave and, in five minutes, come into my office and tell me we have a case."

"Or, since we've decided to have a baby together, we could just leave together and tell her she was right."

"I suppose that would be acceptable," Brennan conceded, allowing him to grasp her hand and lead her from the tiny room.

"Angela? Are you all right?" Booth asked as they approached the artist.

"Hodgins--Oh. My. God. Are you two holding hands?!" Her lament was replaced by high-pitched squealing. She ran to embrace the now-uncomfortable couple, ignoring her own fiancé who had come running when she yelled.

"What's wrong?" Zach asked, having seen Hodgins streak past and then come trudging back not a minute later.

"Be forewarned, Zachster, Angela is going to be unbearable for the next ten or so months."

The genius only stared after him, confusion evident.

Brennan could barely be heard over Angela's excited chatter, "It is an anthropologically accepted fact that women at a certain age--"

Author's Note: If anyone wants to submit ideas for the next one-or-two-shot, let me know and I'll try to use as many of them as I can.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Do I really need to say this? Not mine.

--

:.Two months from chapter two.:

"Good morning, Squint Squad!" Booth cried as he bounded up the stairs, remembering right before the alarm went off to swipe his card.

"Morning, Booth," Angela was the only one to respond, giving Brennan a sideways glance when the forensic anthropologist didn't even glance up from the remains in front of her.

"Brennan, Zach, Hodgins, show Mr. Daddy some respect and tell him good morning!" she demanded, grasping each person's face in turn and making them face the special agent.

"Mr. Daddy?" the four echoed, staring at the artist.

"Yes," Angela told them, plopping down and scooting her wheeled chair closer to the skull so she could work on her sketch.

"It makes sense," Zach piped up. "He is now officially the father of two, or will be once Dr. Brennan delivers the second child."

"Ooh, ri-ight," Hodgins joined in, nudging the agent with his elbow when Booth wandered closer to the exam table. "Good to know the government hasn't removed all of your swimmers for DNA manipulation."

Brennan stopped mid-reach, eyebrows arching high as she looked up from the humerus she was reaching for. "Swimmers?"

"Um, Bones, can we talk about this later?"

"Hodgins?" she redirected her question to the conspiracy theorist, who had the good grace to look mildly ashamed.

"Sorry, Dr. Brennan. This is between you two--I mean three." He gave her mid-section a meaningful glance, even though it was hidden by the table's edge.

"Tell me or I'll tell Dr. Saroyan that _you were the one who--"_

"_Swimmers are a synonym for sperm!" _

"_Thank you, Dr. Hodgins. Now, Booth--"_

"_Christ, Bones! Leave me out of this conversation!"_

"_Even though it's about you?"_

"…_Good point."_

"_You two can make anything a fight, can't you?" Angela felt that it was a good time to stop a full-blown argument from forming. _

"_Yes, they can," Zach agreed. _

"_If you're going to argue, take it to Dr. Brennan's office and close the door. Some of us are actually trying to work," Cam told them as she stepped onto the platform. _

"_Fine, we will," Booth told her, steering Brennan to the aforementioned room. As soon as the door closed behind them, Booth dropped to his knees and, arms around Bones' waist, nuzzled her belly. _

"_Good morning, little one," he told the bump, "Is Mommy being grumpy today?" _

"_Booth, the baby cannot hear you for another two months! It is scientifically proven that it is during the fourth month when the baby begins to be able to hear voices from outside the mother's womb."_

"_I'm just making the she knows who her Daddy is."_

"_Like there will ever be any doubt."_

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_

"…_Why do you think it's a girl?"_

"_Father's intuition."_

"_There is no such--" Her protest on behalf on scientists everywhere was cut off by her partner's lips. _


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See First Chapter.

--

"I was thinking maybe mint green and sky blue," Angela announced as she made herself at home in Bones' office.

"For what?" Brennan asked, not bothering to glance up from her computer screen.

"The baby's room, Sweetie."

"….You and Hodgins are having a baby?"

"No! Colors for you and Booth's baby's room. Hodgins and I haven't even talked about babies yet."

"Maybe you should."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I just think it'd be better if you had your own special event to look forward to instead of focusing on ours."

"…Oh. Well, sweetie, when we do decide to have children, you will be the godmother."

"I didn't know you and Hodgins were religious," Brennan told her, standing and gathering files before hurrying from the room. Angela heaved herself to her feet and trailed after her best friend, intent on continuing the conversation.

"We aren't. But every baby needs godparents."

"I didn't have godparents and I'm fine."

"You were a special case, sweetie."

"Am I supposed to be flattered or insulted?" Without any warning, Brennan's eyes filled with tears. Angela immediately embraced her, trying her best to comfort the distraught anthropologist. When her attempts only made it worse, she panicked.

"Oh, God, Zach, call Booth!"

"Why? Doctor Brennan seems to be experiencing an emotional upheaval caused by a hormonal imbalance due to the formation of her offspring, nothing life-threatening."

"Just do it, Zach! And tell him that it's a code blue!"

Zach hesitantly looked up and dialed the number for Booth on Angela's cell phone, waiting calmly for the agent in question to answer on the other line. When he finally got through, he explained the situation to Booth in a confused, almost dazed tone of voice.

"Angela, he would like to speak with Doctor Brennan." He tapped the artist on the shoulder and handed her the device.

"Yes--No! I'll let her tell you. Brennan, Sweetie? It's Booth, he wants to talk to you," she switched from her normal, brisk tone to a calming one as she pressed the phone into the other woman's hand. Brennan gave a sniffle and leaned into Angela for support as she lifted the phone to her ear.

"B-Booth?"

"Bones, listen, I'm on my way over. Just try to stay calm and I'll be there as soon as I can, o.k. Temperance?" Bones nodded, clearing her throat and responding verbally when she remembered he couldn't see her. "Good, I love you, Bones. Stay calm, all right?"

"Love you too," she told him, voice still slightly shaky. They disconnected and Brennan collapsed into the nearest chair.

Booth arrived three minutes later, almost knocking Hodgins down in his rush to come to the rescue.

"Hey, man, watch it!" The bug specialist yelled, diving out of the way.

"Sorry! Hormonal girlfriend, apparent emergency!"

"Oooh. Good luck, dude," the smaller man told him sympathetically.

When Booth finally reached Brennan, she was stretched out on the couch in her office. Before entering, he stopped to observe her, wanting to know what kind of situation he had been called in for. He couldn't stop himself when he saw that she was poking her stomach in agitation: "What are you doing?!"

"The baby is making me hormonal and unstable," she told him, brow furrowed.

"No, that would be the hormones."

"But the increase in hormones is caused by the baby," she corrected his correction.

"Yes, dear." He gave in, placing her feet in his lap so he could share the couch with her.

"Are you all right now?" he asked after a few minutes of silence, watching her face closely.

"Yes, I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself and our baby, Booth. I just had a tiny over-reaction. Do we have a case?"

"Yes, actually." He held the file out to her, yanking it back at the last second when she grabbed for it. "However--"

"Are you trying to blackmail me?" she interrupted.

"Maybe."

"ANGELA!" At her call, the artist came running into the room, panic written all over her face.

"What is it, sweetie? What's wrong?"

"Booth's trying to blackmail me!" Brennan pouted, managing to genuinely upset.

"Booth! How could you? She's going through a very difficult time right now and you need to support her as much as possible, not make it worse!"

"I was just--"

"No, mister, you listen to me. You are going to work this case with Brennan but things are going to be a bit different around here until this baby comes, do you understand me? You will not, under any circumstance, but Brennan or the baby or yourself in danger. You will not upset her, provoke her…."

Booth could be seen exiting Brennan's office with a smug girlfriend in tow, one hand on her back while the other held two Tylenol for his throbbing headache.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

--

"Do we have to?" Booth whined, reluctantly following Brennan across the lab to Cam's office.

"Yes, we do. If we do not inform her, she will be very confused when I request maternity leave and you show up covered in spit-up."

"Why can't we just wait until your belly pops out and let her draw her own conclusions?"

"Booth, are you ashamed of this baby? Of me?" For the second time that week, in the lab, at least, Brennan's eyes filled with tears that immediately began rolling down her cheeks.

"Baby, no--" He reached out, attempting to comfort her, but she swatted his hands away.

"No, don't touch me. If you're so ashamed of us, maybe it's best that we don't tell her. After all, we wouldn't want to ruin your chances with her, now would we?" she sneered, shocking him into silence.

Cam, having noticed the commotion outside her office, came to investigate. "What is going on out here? Doctor Brennan, are you all right?"

"No, I'm not all right!" Brennan yelled, storming off towards Angela's office.

"Seeley, what have you done to Doctor Brennan?"

"Got her pregnant, Camille, and now she thinks I'm ashamed of her and the baby."

"But why--"

"I wanted to wait to tell you."

"I see. And she interpreted this as--"

"Yeah, pretty much. However, I just didn't want to give you any more reason to harass her." That said, Booth hurried after his Bones.

:Meanwhile, in Angela's office:

"Sweetie, I'm sure he didn't mean it like that," Angela tried to tell her best friend, who was currently curled into a ball on her couch, hiccupping between sobs.

"M-Maybe, but now I've messed it all up!"

"Bren, honey, this is Booth we're talking about. He won't ever leave you or this baby. He loves you both too much."

"R-R-Really?" Brennan sat up, hope lighting her face up.

"Yes, really," Booth told her, standing hesitantly in the doorway.

"Booth!" Angela and Brennan said in unison, the former with relief.

"She's all yours," the artist told him, leaving the office to give the lovebirds their privacy.

"Thanks," he responded, eyes never leaving Bones'.

"Booth, I'm sorry. The hormones made me act irrationally and I said some things that I didn't mean."

"Just….trust me, O.K.? When I say that I'll never leave, I mean it. I love you and you're the only one I want to be with."

She nodded, giving him a watery smile when he cupped her face in his hands and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. "Love you too," she whispered when their foreheads met.

"Even when I leave the toilet seat up?"

"I know you can't help it. Anthropologically speaking, you leaving the seat up--Booth!"

Her lecture was cut off when he began tickling her expanding stomach, making her squeal with laughter.

"Ahh, true love," Angela sighed, observing the couple through the glass walls.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

--

Three Weeks After The Last Chapter:

When Booth strolled into the lab, darting up the stairs to the platform after swiping his card, the Squints were surprised when he asked them, "Where's Bones?"

"You mean you lost her?" Zach asked, not bothering to look up from the remains.

"No, I just….can't find her?"

"Sweetie, she's in her office." Angela felt bad for him and pointed him in the right direction.

"Thanks," he told her absently, nearly running towards Brennan's office.

"Bones!"

"What?" The woman in question was staring at her computer screen, glancing between it and the keyboard every few seconds as she cautiously tapped something up.

"Doctors appointment, remember?" He grabbed her coat from the rack by the door, draping over his shoulder as he lifted her from her chair and attempted to stuff her in it while she kept typing.

"We're already late, Booth, a few more minutes won't make a difference," she told him, shrugging him off.

"Yes, it will." When she turned to scowl at him, he only smiled his special, patent-pending "charm smile" and draped her coat over her shoulders, buttoning it shut before she could protest.

"Booth! My arms are stuck!" she whined as he pushed her out the door ahead of him.

"That's the point. This way, when you try to escape and come back to work, you won't get very far," he informed her. As he was obviously very proud of himself, Brennan let him keep his delusions and waited until after they reached the doctor's office to demonstrate her ability to force snap-buttons to open with her fingers.

Later That Afternoon:

"Let me see!" Angela demanded. "Is it totally gorgeous?"

"Ange, what are you--"

"The ultrasound, Bones. She wants to see the picture of the ultrasound."

"But we won't get one for at least another month, maybe more."

As soon as this reached her ears, Angela began pouting and slumped into a corner of the couch.

"What do we do to make her stop?" Booth asked Brennan quietly, unsettled.

"Angela," Bones started, standing in front of her best friend and leaning forward to look her in the eyes. "Do you want to feel the…bump?"

Angela's eyes lit up and she almost gave herself whiplash as she sprang forward. "Really, sweetie?"

"Bones!" It was now Booth's turn to pout. "It's my baby. When do I get to feel the bump?"

"You mean you haven't?"

"She won't let me. The only time I can is when she's asleep or she has a shirt on."

"Why not?" Angela was stunned.

"Because there's nothing to feel," Brennan defended herself.

"But you're letting Angela!"

"Fine. Hit yourself out," Brennan finally relented, rolling her eyes to the heavens as she lifted her shirt's hem.

"You mean, 'knock yourself out,'" he corrected her absently. He and Angela were sitting side-by-side now, tentatively exploring the tiny swell of her belly.

"Isn't this a little small for almost four months?" Angela felt the need to ask.

"Dr. Kent assured us that Bones and the baby were both perfectly healthy."

"Right here, you know," Brennan interrupted.

"What are you doing?" Cam asked at the same time. The happy parents' plus the resident artist's heads whipped towards the doorway, Brennan's hands seemingly frozen with her shirt exposing her midriff.

"Feeling my baby," Booth told her, tugging the hem down and rubbing the now-covered area possessively.

"My niece or nephew is in there," Angela breathed in awe as realization sank in.

"Feeling is believing?" Cam chuckled at her own little joke.

"Pretty much."

--

Author's Note:

Hey, guys. Sorry it took so long for me to update! Our phone line was hit by lightening so I won't have internet for almost two weeks. Until then, I'll go to the library and update whenever I get the chance. Thank you to all my reviewers, good and bad. I really appreciate the time you take to read and analyze my writing. Much love,

Whisper.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

--

"So when did Booth move in?" Angela asked as she sprawled on Brennan's couch.

"What makes you think he moved in? Just because we're having a child together doesn't mean I need him hovering around me at home too."

"Well, this is the first time in almost three years that you've had a television, there are pictures of you, Booth, Parker, and various combinations thereof scattered everywhere, and his tie from yesterday is on the bookshelf," the artist pointed out, flipping channels.

"…Oh. About a week after we started trying."

"Really? I guess it makes sense that you'd skip the dating phase and jump straight into the next two."

"Why do you say that?" Brennan asked as she retrieved a glass of water and a bottle of soda from the kitchen. She settled on the couch next to Angela, making a face at the romantic movie on the screen as she handed the soda to the other woman.

"Because you two've always been closer than most married couples and know each other better than I would want to know anyone."

"Even Hodgins?"

"Except maybe Jack."

"Why only 'maybe'?"

"Two words, Sweetie: cattle brand."

Brennan winced, gulping down her water and shuddering at the images that just wouldn't leave. "Thanks, Ange."

"No problem, Sweetie. Have you not been nauseous at all?"

"Not until a few minutes ago."

"Not even around cadavers," Angela stated, astounded at her friend's iron stomach.

"Why would I be?"

"Yeah, Bones, who lets rotting, stinky corpses make them upchuck?" Booth asked, using his foot to close the door as he balanced two bags of groceries. "Hey, Ange."

"Hey, Booth. Need some help?"

"Nah. I got it," he called back as he disappeared into the kitchen. Both women listened with growing amusement as he attempted to put his purchases away in the correct spots.

"He's still having a little trouble adjusting," Brennan whispered to Angela as they crept over to peek around the doorframe.

"I can tell." They dove back onto the couch when Booth looked up, head swiveling as he attempted to locate the source of the giggles.

"How're my girls?" Booth finally emerged from the kitchen, sliding into place between Brennan and Angela.

"Great," Angela replied, munching on her buttered, salt-loaded popcorn.

"And my tiny girl?" he asked, one hand splayed over Brennan's stomach. Brennan lifted the bowl of non-buttery, salt-less popcorn to make room for him.

"What makes you think it's a girl?"

"Instinct, Bones," he told her, pressing a kiss to her lips when she started to argue. "Missed you."

"You were gone an hour to get groceries _you _insisted that you couldn't live without."

"Men cannot live on tofu alone, Bones, and neither can you."

"Actually, there was this documentary on last night about the effects of vegan lifestyles on pregnant females of various ages and occupations, and--"

"I thought I deleted that," Booth interrupted, snatching the remote from Angela and checking the TiVo. Sure enough, the show was still there and Booth deleted it as soon as he saw it, ignoring Brennan's gasp of outrage.

"Booth!" Angela and Brennan whined in sync.

"I wanted to see what she was talking about!" Angela continued her rant, pushing Booth away from her and into Brennan, who only pushed him back.

"I don't delete your silly mechanic shows!"

"They aren't silly, Bones! They demonstrate the proper and improper uses of tools and their applications when restoring classical vehicles."

"Why don't you try using the books I got you?"

"What books?" Angela felt the need to re-join the conversation at this point.

"I got him a collection of books, each one describing the best ways to restore certain classic vehicles."

"Why don't you use them?" The artist turned her accusing glare on the FBI agent, who raised his hands in a pacifying gesture. If Angela recalled correctly, she had seen him use it several times on his pregnant girlfriend.

"Well, I - Uh, that is…"

"Yeah, Booth. If you didn't want them, just say so!" Brennan turned from upset to irate in seconds, pushing him even further down the couch before leaving the room. The slam of the bathroom door indicated which room she had sought refuge in until the hormone-driven storm passed.

"I'll get it, Sweetie." Angela laid a restraining hand on his arm when he started to rise from his seat. She cautiously approached the bathroom door and slid the door open. "Bren, sweetie? Are you all right?" she asked, closing the door as she finally spotted her best friend laying in the empty bathtub. "What are you reading?"

"B-Booth likes to read comic books when he bathes," Brennan explained as she lowered the thin book from in front of her face. Her red eyes and running nose told Angela all she needed to know.

"Honey, he didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"I know, now. I just wish I hadn't sliced his favorite alcohol-dispensing helmet into slivers."

"You did WHAT?!" Booth's cry of dismay sounded eerily close.

"You deserved it!" Brennan defended, leaping from the tub and shoving the bathroom door back open. Booth, who had been lounging outside listening in, sprang to his feet.

"Just because I didn't read some stupid books?" The sparring couple were now nose-to-nose as they traded glares.

"They aren't stupid! They were your birthday present from me!" That said, Brennan slammed the door closed again, this time on his fingers.

"Temperance, baby, look, I'm sorry, all right?" He resorted to pleading, cradling his smashed phalanges to his chest while the other joined his forehead against the door.

"No, you aren't! If you were, you never would have said they were stupid and started this fight!"

"You're right, as always," he grumbled, now genuinely remorseful. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

Nobody dared say anything when Booth donned latex gloves for the first time and helped Dr. Temperance Brennan reorganize Limbo the following day.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

--

Brennan woke very slowly the morning of her second ultrasound appointment, unconsciously cuddling closer to Booth in an effort to stay warm. Sometime in the middle of the night, he had managed to wrap himself around her and curl the blanket around only himself in the process. When she woke up enough to realize what had happened, Brennan scooted out of his arms and stretched from her perch on the side of the bed.

"I miss coffee," she mumbled, shoving her hair out of her eyes with one hand. She reached behind her with one hand and poked Booth in the chest. When his only response was a sleepy mumble, she poked even harder and kept it up until he finally gained full consciousness. "If you don't get up right now, you're going to be late for that meeting Cullen warned you about."

A swear word flew from his lips as he tumbled over the other side of the bed, scrambling to his feet and racing for the bathroom. Minutes later, he whizzed by her as she finished buttoning her shirt. He pressed a kiss to her lips as he dashed for the door, calling behind him, "Don't forget your vitamins!"

She swore her revenge as she gulped down the pre-natal vitamins and grabbed the tie he had forgotten to put on, stashing it in her purse to tease him with later.

"Booth, what the hell happened to you?" Cullen demanded as Booth caught up to him in the hallway outside the conference room minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin.

"Faulty alarm, sir," Booth said apologetically. Cullen only looked at him, shaking his head once before leading the way into the conference room. Booth started to follow him in.

"Booth!" The man in question groaned, turning in the doorway to stare at an out-of-breath anthropologist.

"Bones, can this wait? I'm kinda late, you know." Cullen was now glaring at Booth as the other agents began taking their seats.

"But you forgot--"

"We'll finish this after the meeting, O.K.?" That said, he slid the door shut and slumped into his seat with a vivid blush spreading across his cheeks.

Brennan gaped at him through the glass for almost a minute before her stare turned hard and she whipped a bright blush tie from her purse, dangling it through the window at him. Booth could only stare at her in shock as she jerked the door open, stomped over to his seat and spun his chair to face her. He couldn't even breath as she stood between his legs and put his tie on him like a mother would her child. Still glaring, she adjusted his shirt, smoothed his hair, and swept out of the room like she owned the place after spinning his chair back into its original position.

"Get your squint under control, Booth," Booth imitated Cullen an hour later as he drove to the Jeffersonian. Parking in the space next to Brennan's angled car and sliding out of it he pocketed his keys as he jogged to the front entrance. "Hey, Bones!" he called when he didn't see her anywhere, not even on the platform. "Bones? Hey, have you seen Doctor Brennan?" He stopped to as one of the security guards.

"Last I saw, she was with Ms. Montenegro in the bathroom. That was just a few minutes ago."

"Thanks."

When he reached the restrooms, he was startled to hear muffled yelling from the women's section.

"Bones? Angela?" He rapped lightly on the door with his knuckles, listening for a response.

"Booth, thank God!" Angela popped out long enough to hug him in relief and then drag him inside.

"Hey, wait a minute! This is the women's restroom."

"So?"

"So, I'm a man."

"Chill, G-Man! I just need to you tell Brennan how cute her new maternity clothes look on her."

"Oh, no. No, no, no! We don't have time for this! We have to be at the doctor's office in…" Booth glanced at his watch, ignoring Angela's smirk. "Less than an hour."

"So? This won't take five minutes, will it, Bren?" Angela sounded almost threatening as she stared at one of the closed stall doors.

"I'm not coming out, Angela, until you give me my work clothes back."

"Come on, Sweetie! The maternity stuff is adorable!"

"It might be on other women, but it isn't on me," Brennan told her best friend. "Booth, can't you reason with her?"

"I already tried, baby."

"Try harder!"

"Don't make me come in there!" Angela interrupted, fully prepared to climb under the stall door and force Brennan out.

"Fine," Brennan gave in with an unhappy grumble as she emerged.

"Aww!" Angela squealed.

"Wow," Booth breathed in agreement.

Brennan stood in front of them, arms crossed moodily over her chest, in a pale blue empire-waist tank top dress that brushed her knees. It had two wide strips of material that tied in a large bow in the back, revealed only when Angela forced the other woman to turn and show the whole garment off. "Another one," the artist then demanded.

"Sorry, Angela, we gotta get going, right Booth? I'll see you at lunch!" Brennan didn't even bother changing clothes, simply gathering everything up and shoving Booth out the door ahead of her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Brennan pounced on Booth as soon as they had left the lab, smothering his face with kisses.

"No problem. Angela can be pretty determined, huh?"

"You have no idea."


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: See Previous Chapters.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brennan entered the waiting room timidly, allowing Booth to lead her by the hand to the check-in desk. "I'm Temperance Brennan, I have an appointment with Dr. Kent," she told the receptionist, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot.

"He's running a little late today. Have a seat and we'll call you when he's ready," the woman told her with a kind smile. Bones smiled back hesitantly before taking a seat in the chair that was the furthest away from the other occupants.

"Embarrassed?" Booth asked, obviously amused.

"No, of course not. It's an anthropological---Yes."

"It's all right, Bones. Everybody gets scared."

"Even you?"

"…Except me."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Booth. Everyone experiences fear at several points in their life."

"Well, I don't, OK?"

"If you're sure you don't want to talk about it…"

"I'm sure."

They drifted into silence, Booth playing with Brennan's fingers absently while she flipped through a magazine spread on her lap with her free hand. When they were finally called back into the exam room, Brennan surged to her feet. She tugged Booth after her, eager to get the appointment behind them so she could return to the lab. The nurse led them into their examination room, saying cheerfully, "The doctor will be with you in a moment," before bouncing away. Booth grinned at Brennan, eyeing the gown on the back of the door. However, his sly grin slipped from his lips when he saw her hands gripping each other tightly, knuckles white. Gripping her waist, he lifted her onto the exam table and lightly grasped her face in his hands. "I love you, Temperance, and I know that you love me. This baby is simply proof of that love. All right? There's nothing to be afraid of."

"I realize that, Booth. It's just difficult for me to plan ahead when I have no prior experience with infants."

"What about Andy?"

"That was a temporary situation, Booth!"

"And you did wonderfully, sweetheart."

"I believe that it is time for you to come to terms with the fact that I have no maternal or spousal instincts. I will do my best for this baby, and for this relationship, but without any true experience on which to base my actions, I fear that my efforts will be lackluster."

"Nothing you do is lackluster, Bones. I doubt you could ever do anything other than your best. And as long as you love me and our kids, nothing else matters. Deal?" He grasped her hand lightly in his, shaking it firmly when she nodded in agreement.

"Hello Temperance, Seeley!" Dr. Kent stepped into the room, a middle-aged man with a head full of blonde hair and dark eyes surrounded by laugh lines. "And how is everything? Any more queasiness?"

"I have managed to retain the contents of my stomach for several weeks now, Dr. Kent."

"Well, except for the shrimp the other night. In her defense, they weren't very well cooked--" Booth injected, taking a seat in the chair next to the exam table.

"Ah." Dr. Kent picked up her chart from the folder-bin on the door, studying it before writing a note in the margins. "Good. Normally the nausea ends after the first trimester." After a few more questions, a quick exam and some diet tips, it was time for the scan.

Brennan watched on in disbelieving wonder as their baby's form came into view on the monitor. Booth held one of her hands, rubbing his cheek against her knuckles affectionately as they watched.

"And it's a…."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note:

Yes, I did it. However, it is really hard for me to choose a gender! What's say we have a vote? Most votes wins, of course. The end date for the vote will be…April 27th, 2009. I wish I could get the next chapter done sooner, but my birthday is April 23rd and I have tons of studying to do next week. I love you all! Thanks ever so much for all of your support and especially your comments.

Whisper


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Not mine. It makes me sad to admit it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Come on, Bones! Just one?" Booth wheedled, holding the object of Brennan's disgust on one finger.

"No, Booth. It is the ultimate symbol of the antiquated ritual that I abhor."

"It's a dress, Bones. You're a girl, aren't you supposed to love dressing up?"

"Well, I do enjoy--"

"Good! Now, go back there, put it on, and come show me. All right? Not hard, now is it?" He lightly nudged her in the direction of the changing rooms, laying the dress across the arms she somewhat reluctantly extended.

"Just one dress, Booth. I refuse to be a mannequin for you to dress up." Ducking into a dressing room, she quickly began shedding her clothing before turning a dubious look on the white dress. "Are you sure it will fit?" she called to Booth, eyeing the tag.

"It's the same size as your other dresses."

"And how would you know what size those are?"

"Angela told me, Bones. This is actually all her idea, you know." Booth was eager to toss the blame on someone else's shoulders should this end badly.

"All right, I put it on. Now can I take it off?"

"No! Bones, lemme see!" Booth whipped around, waiting excitedly for her to emerge.

"Booth, I look ridiculous!" Brennan warned him as she entered his line of sight. Her hands were on her hips, one foot tapping in agitation as she waited for him to finish looking. The pearly white dress hugged the top of her body before flaring into a tea-length full skirt, giving emphasis to her slowly growing baby-bump. The thinner-than-paper lace extended from just under the bust to the hem of the skirt.

"Wow, Bones…" Booth breathed, slowly circling her.

"You like it?" Brennan asked hesitantly, turning to follow his movements.

"I love it."

"I doubt they have your size, but we can always ask."

"Very funny, Bones. Seriously, do _you like it?"_

"_It is aesthetically pleasing, yes. It is comfortable, and it fits well enough."_

"_Do you want it, Bones?"_

"_Why would I? I don't plan on ever marrying, therefore I don't need a wedding dress."_

"_It doesn't have to be used for a wedding, you know. You can wear it to one of your Jeffersonian ball-things." _

"_That's very true. Can you tell me what the tag says?" She turned, presenting her back to him._

_Booth gulped, hand shaking as he dipped it into the top of the dress's back and digging for the tag. Grasping it, he struggled to give it all of his attention. "It says it's, um," he cleared his throat before continuing, "five hundred dollars, before sale price."_

"_What is the sale percentage that will be deducted from the original price?" _

"_Uh, 45%," Booth confirmed after looking at a nearby sign._

"_In that case, I think I will purchase this." _

"_Atta girl!"_

"_And maybe, one of these days you will build your courage to the point of proposing to me, rather than convincing me to buy the dress beforehand?"_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Author's Note: _

_Who else completely loved "The Cinderella in the Cardboard."? This is supposed to take place after the episode, in the shop where they saw Daisy and the murdered bride purchased her gown. I couldn't remember the name of the owner or the shop. I know this thing is skipping around between episodes and seasons, but please try to forgive me for it? I couldn't resist the temptation of this! We can just pretend that they can solve cases in days, rather than weeks. LOL. Thank you for all of your support! I love you all!_

_Whisper_


End file.
